Three Little Words
by The Abbot of Beregost
Summary: A short fic about those three little words that guys are dying to hear. SJ.


**A/N:** Jack's POV, just post Entity. A bit different from my usual fare, but hey. Enjoy.

Drinking, as a passtime for males, breaks down into three categories:

1. You're depressed as hell and trying to obliterate whatever it is that's making you sad.

2. Communal affair- you and your homeboys get together and bond.

3. Celebration- you get totally wasted to honor an accomplishment.

Usually, the team would go out one day a week after work to O'Malley's. I guess Airforce money was still good there, and since our antic six months ago, most patrons give us distance. I guess we have a rep as super-ninja commandos because of the armband thing. At any rate, me and the boys usually came out there for a few beers and some pool after work. Carter usually stayed on base, fooling with whatever we brought back.

Everyone usually paid their own way, unless something big happened. Like, when Daniel came back after the Unas captured him, I bought him drinks for a night. That's the way it goes- if you do something good, you get free drinks. Of course, it meant less to Teal'c, but hey. A drink is a drink is a drink, right?

Well, this was the first night after...after I almost lost Carter that we went drinking. It was a relief thing, everyone was looking to blow off steam. Even Carter...she tagged along for once. It was awkward, so I just bought the drinks for everyone. We played pool, did our usual thing. She went NUTS. I mean, out of her mind. It seemed like that brush with death drove her into overdrive. She had the most expensive dinner she could, with a bottle of the best house wine. We just had the usual- steaks or chicken with beer.

She laughed and joked as we ate quietly. She was overdrive, talking about...whatever came to hand. Teal'c played along, but me and Daniel exchanged glances. Odd. More than once, she brushed me with her hand. Light stuff, subconscious, normal contact- the stuff she had been avoiding since the whole Za'tarc thing. It was great to have her around, and I was plenty glad to see her happy and healthy, but it seemed like she was compensating.

I hit the bar- the stress and everything was getting to me, and I needed to relax. I mean, how many times had I almost lost her in the last little bit? Jesus, man. How many times did any of us almost die out there? Some of the welts from those little firefly things still weren't gone. I got a scotch, then spent most of the night watching everyone.

Teal'c and Daniel played pool. Teal'c was pretty good for a beginner, kicked Daniel's ass a few times - especially since Daniel couldn't handle his liquor. All's the better, right? Teal'c was the DD, anyways. I just sat back, and enjoyed the night. Carter's insanity continued. Once she was done her dinner, she sat there a moment, head cocked and staring at me. I shifted a bit, and wondered what she was doing.

She stood up, and started dancing. Yeah, dancing. By herself, in the middle of the pub. I've never seen her do something like that. there was some weird-ass song playing, some chick singing about Eden with monks chanting the in background. It was odd, but watching her dance...she was amazing. She moved like mercury. She was beautiful. I can't say it enough. Those eyes, her hair, the way she moved, what she wore. Everything.

Dare I say it, she was angelic. Radiant. Nothing less than.

I watched her for a long time, dancing by herself. I noticed the odd stare as she danced to every song that the owner piped in. Hell, he even turned it up for her. No one got up to join her though. I don't know why, but no one did. I was transfixed. I think I watched her all night, just dancing. There were two breaks, maybe, when she grabbed herself a fruity cocktail of some sort to cool down a little. She walked right past me without a word, smile on her lips and lights dancing in those eyes. When she looked at me, I knew that she wanted me to see them, that flash of joy in her blue eyes.

The unspoken rules of drinking change when there's a woman around. You buy them a drink, it's a proposition. I don't think she wanted that, right now. I think she just wanted to be happy, enjoy the night. I mean, after the whole ghost in the machine thing, she had earned it. not many people get a second shot at life like that.

She danced until last call. She stopped mid song, and came over to me. I was still nursing my second scotch... I think. It was mostly icewater at that point. Daniel had gotten himself wasted -again- and had to be driven home early. Looking back now, I think he did it deliberate. There were maybe five people left in the entire joint by the time she stopped. She walked up to me, looked me right in the eye. She had probably drank a little too much, so I stood and went for my keys. I was still pretty good, I guessed.

She stopped me. It was just the tips of her fingers on my chest, but I just stood stock still. She looked me full in the eyes. I saw something in there, layers. There was the friendship, then below that there was something else. The thing that made her glow. Still below that was something positively predatory. Her voice barely raised above a whisper. It carried through the empty bar, though.

"Give it a minute."

I...I...those words...

She walked past me, leaned on the bar. She was so...curvy. Gorgeous. Even though she was all sweaty, she still smelled wonderful to me. I followed her, swiveling around. She gestured at the bartender, ordered two bourbons. Then, she looked over her shoulder at me, and said those three little words that every guy is aching to hear:

"Drink's on me."


End file.
